IDI Announces Appointment of Prof. Amichai Cohen as Vice President of Research

Prof. Amichai Cohen has been appointed Vice President of Research at the Israel Democracy Institute where he will join IDI President Yohanan Plesner and Vice President of Strategy Dr. Jesse Ferris on IDI’s management team. Prof. Cohen succeeds Prof. Suzie Navot, who completed her term as Vice President on June 30.

Prof. Cohen, who has served as a Senior Fellow at IDI since 2011, is an expert on the international law of armed conflict, national security law, civil military relations, and constitutional law. A prolific scholar, he is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and four books, including Israel’s National Security Law (with Stuart Cohen), Proportionality in International Humanitarian Law and The Supreme Court Wars. Prof. Cohen played a key role in the compromise discussions on constitutional reform held in 2023 under the auspices of President Isaac Herzog. 

Prof. Cohen has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Ono Academic College and as a visiting professor at American University - Washington College of Law and Columbia University Law School. He earned his LL.B. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his LL.M. and LL.D. from Yale Law School at Yale University.

Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute: "The addition of Prof. Amichai Cohen to our management team could not come at a more opportune time for IDI and for Israel. Amichai is a true 'renaissance man' whose broad base of knowledge and unparallel expertise across the core areas of our research are sure to strengthen IDI in the years ahead. His track record in the academic and think-tank worlds ideally positions him to lead our team of experts and ensure the highest standards of scholarship as we work together to strengthen Israeli democracy."

Prof. Amichai Cohen: "It is a true privilege to assume this position at a pivotal moment for the State of Israel. We face great challenges as a nation as we work to ensure the continued success of our Jewish and democratic experiment. I look forward to working with my colleagues in management and with the Institute's outstanding interdisciplinary team of experts to advance nonpartisan, research-based ideas and policy proposals of the highest quality with the aim of bolstering Israel’s security, prosperity and democratic vitality."